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Former NHLer Pat Verbeek has been inducted into the Sarnia-Lambton Sports Hall of Fame.

He was inducted in the professional athlete category and the 29th annual enshrinement ceremony was held Sept. 24 at the Camlachie Community Centre.

A member of the 1999 Dallas Stars which won the Stanley Cup, Verbeek was raised near Reeces Corners and played minor hockey in Petrolia.

He said his parents instilled a strong work ethic in him. They also reminded him that if he didn't make it as a hockey player, "...the pigs will always be here," on the family farm. That was all the motivation he needed to succeed in hockey, joked Verbeek.

He played 21 seasons in the NHL, with the New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings. He scored 522 career goals, and 541 assists for 1,063 points in 1,424 NHL regular season games.